Love Jihad, the upcoming Malayalam film featuring actors Suraj Venjaramoodu, Siddique and Lena, will be a family drama, director Bash Mohammed tells Silverscreen India.
The makers have been releasing posters of the artists’ respective characters since January and recently, Lena’s poster was released. Sharing it, Lena wrote that she plays a character named Sulu in this film. “Sulu in Love Jihad is one of the most interesting roles I’ve played and also the toughest to pull off, while being the most fun,” she said.
Produced by Sheeja Bash under the Allegrato Cinema banner, the film’s story was conceived by Mohammed, who then co-wrote the screenplay with Sreekumar Arackal. The director tells us that it took them almost two weeks to finish the writing process.
“While writing, we had Suraj and Siddique in our minds for playing the lead characters. When we pitched the idea to them, they liked the subject and gave us dates for filming,” he adds.
Expanding on the subject of the film, Mohammed says, “Love Jihad follows the love story of two individuals from different communities – Hindu and Muslim. It is a slice-of-life film that will be relatable to all. The film portrays two middle-class families from different religious backgrounds and the story throws light on familial relations and emotions.”
The filmmaker says he got the idea for the film after observing certain incidents in society. “I am from Kerala, so I know that conservatism and orthodox cultures still exist in our society. Further, inter-faith marriages are not easy for many. For example, even today there are matrimonial ads for finding life partners from a particular community and some even mention specifications of caste and sub-caste. But, I believe that love is pure and beyond all such boundaries. This was sort of what inspired me to come up with this film.”
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Mohammed, who has previously directed the Malayalam films Prakasan (2017) and Lukka Chuppi (2015), also mentions that he wanted to helm an entertainer during the pandemic, as most of the releases during the period have been dark and serious.
On the film’s title, the director says, “Jihad in Arabic means struggle and my film is all about love and its struggles. As a filmmaker and a creative person, this is my interpretation of the term Love Jihad. Also, I chose this Arabic term as the film is completely set in Dubai.”
The film was shot in November 2021 in Dubai, by cinematographer Prakash Velayudhan.
Aside from Suraj, Siddique and Lena, Love Jihad also features actors Gayathri Arun, Meera Nandan and newcomers Amritha and Josekutty.
The makers are hoping for a theatrical release for the film in the coming months.